Cigar vending apparatus



June 10, 1952 M, BERGER ET AL 2,599,685

CIGAR VENDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 4, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet l I. l I l I 1. s7 l 6 47 =5 65 h i 1 f 49 40 3sl a0 so INVENTORS MARTIN M. BERGER JOHN MORALES ATTORNEYS June 10, 1952 M. M. BERGER ETAL CIGAR VENDING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 4, 1946 INVENTORS MARTIN NI. BERGER JOHN MORALES BY 9 'r ATTOR Y June 10, 1952 M. M. BERGER ET AL 2,599,685

CIGAR VENDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 4, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS MARTIN M. BERGER F 9 JOHN MORALES ATTORNEYS June 10, 1952 M. M. BERGER ETAL 2,599,685

CIGAR VENDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 4, 1946 ,4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS MARTIN M. BERGER JOHN MORALES ATTORNEYS Patented June 10, 1.95 s a UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,599,685 oIGAR VENDING A'PrARAT-Us Martin Berger and -John Meshes, New York, N. Y. iifiisiianeasesiembsr 4, 1946, Serial N6. 694.774 '2 Claims. 01. 2124's) to apparatus for vending eiga s.. .Objects. and advantages er the invention .will be set forth ilipaft hereinafter andin. part wilibe nvious .herefroin; on may be. learned by practice witfiitheinvention; the same being. realized and attained, by means. or; the .instrumentalities and combinations pointedout in the appended claims. The invention consists in the novel parts, con- "structions, arrangements combinations. and improvementsihereinshown and. described...

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein, and constituting apart hereof, illustrate one Embodiment. of the inventiomand together with therd'escription, serve to explain the principles or the invention.

0f. the drawings: V

IEig. 1 isa fragmentaryside elevation, with parts in sectioitof a cigarvending magazine in a machine embodying. the. invention;

Big. 2 isa vertical section on line.2-2.of Fig. 1;

.Fig. 3 is afragmentary sideelevationof the mechanism shown in Fig. I viewed from the opposits Side; f H Fig.;,.4 is aseriesQof. four operational views taken in section on lines. A -A. iii-+13; CR.C and D-D 01'. Fi 3 L and. showiflsdiffemnt operational positions i the mechan sms; U

Eig. dis a horizontal section taken on line 5-5 OfEi -QI.

Fig 6 is a vertical section taken on line 66 of g .3 .F s, Us e larg d fra men a y ve tical section. of the igar ejecting means of the mechanism The invention relates se. 12 is a vertical sectionon line i2- i2 of 1 a i ywa 3 a erspe tiveoithe same qa tonwith c .tain elements thereof torn away in accordance w th; entoua 'd useful machine. i911? vending cigars. .quickly, affi i nt yt x en e'ly and wit u inju y to th cl da t .An x: biectisto provide Sasha mash n nhich becen in r f r supiplying cigars to the machine remains in place in Qbiects oithe invention is to tiara a have the machine and-constitutes an. operativeelement in combination with the vending mechanism to .facilitate the vending .of the cigars'and otheroperations of the machine. Another object of the invention. of the machine is to provide a noveland useful form of containerand cartonfor carrying and loading cigars into .a vending machine. and for cooperating with the: vending mechanismr l In cigar,vending. machines.heretofore it has been necessary. to provide means .for accommodating the cigarl-holdingand feeding or vending devices to. different sizes and shapes of cigars. Such, means have been regarded. as necessary because of therelativelygreat variation in the sizes and shapes of commercially available cigars and the impracticability of designing and building separate vending machinesforyendingeach such size. and shape of yended product, .However, in practice it has been found that the means of adjustment heretofore provided for such;.purposes are not wholly satisfactory principally because they require frequent settings by service men to adapt the vending mechanism to changes in the brands or sizes and shapes of cigars sup; pliedto the machine. Su ch service adjustments are frequently made carelessly by unskilled help so as to render the machine inoperative or to cause damage to thecigars being vended. Consequently oneprimary object of the invention is to provide a cigar vending and ejecting mechanism which will feed all sizes and shapes of cigars freely, safely andaccurately from the container or magazine holding them without requiring any service adjustments or settings. The machine of ourinvention will handle all sizes and shapes of cigars indiscriminately and will facilitate the feeding rnovement of cigars lying in column in thesupply magazine soas to .avoid any Jamm rdi o sm nt the w w u d interfere with he vfin a tion- .Tlie end n means of the present invention automatically .dapts itself to any sizes or shapes .of cigars. It also prevents morethan one cigar. from being fed at a time andis so designed as to retain control over the movement of the cigar being fed and of the staph of cigars inithe magazine column above it ntil the final moment of ejection. s We have alsoiound. in machines heretofore aesi lefid .for feeding. cigars which are loaded or fed into a vertical column magazine by means or? n, insergtable carton orcontainer, that s uch introduce drawbacks into the operation andservicingof the vending machine. ,Eor eX- ample, with such cartons it has heretofore been difficult for the serviceman to tell readily how many cigars remain in any magazine. Moreover cartons which properly house cigars in shipment usually provide a rather tight fit for the cigars within them so that the cigars when positioned in the vending machine magazine and still within the carton do not feed readily therefrom. Also, such cartons normally provide no convenient way to load a few individual cigars into a partially depleted carton in a magazine without either removing the carton from the magazine or forcing cigars into the open top of the carton and thereby frequently causing injury to the cigars or jamming or other irregularity in their stacking.

Other objects of the invention therefore comprise providing a novel cigar-containing and loading carton which will avoid the "above-mentioned drawbacks. The carton of our invention makes the cigars in the entire stack within a magazine viewable and accessible to the serviceman at all times. The carton construction also enhances free flow of the cigars for feeding and delivery from the vertical stack thereof. It also facilitates partial or complete reloading at any time while the carton is in the magazine. The novel carton of our invention is also designed to cooperate mechanically with the vending mechanism, providing a clearance space for action of means operable when the carton has been emptied to indicate the absence of cigars and to prevent operation of that particular vending mechanism until its magazine has been replenished with one or more cigars. Thus both the construction of the carton itself and the combination of the carton structure with operating parts of the vending mechanism are novel and useful features of our invention.

It will be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description as well are exemplary and explanatory but are not restrictive of the invention.

Referring now in detail to the present preferred embodiment of the invention which is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, a general showing of such vending machine is to be found in Fig. 8. Said machine preferably comprises a vertically disposed outer rectangular metal casing l which may be suspended against any suitable vertical surface such as a wall or pillar or may rest upon a suitable base 2. The front wall of the casing l is preferably provided with a window 3 which may be glass sealed and bear on a part of its surface pictures or models or other indicia for representing the types of cigars contained in the various vending magazines within the machine. As shown, the machine is designed for five magazines containing five vertical columns of cigars and the corresponding indicia 4 so indicate five cigars of various types, sizes, shapes and prices. It will be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to any particular number or arrangement in these respects.

As viewed from the front, the machine is provided with five knobs 5 formed at the ends of coin-controlled actuating rods 25 for the several vending magazines. Above each knob the front panel of the machine is provided with a corresponding small opening or window 6 for observation of the indicator showing whether or not the particular magazine is empty. Below the row of knobs 5 there is provided an opening I through which the customer may withdraw a cigar delivered by one of the vending magazines into the common hopper or chute communicating with said opening 1. It will be understood. that for the most part the mechanism hereinabove described is generally conventional in form and construction and that the invention will admit of sub-- stantial modifications and variations therefrom.

Referring now to the internal construction of the vending machine which relates particularly to the cigar-holding magazines and delivery mechanism therefor, the general arrangement thereof is shown in Figs. 1 to 3 and 5. As embodied, the main casing l is formed about a rec-- tangular supporting shelf l0 having flanged ver-- tical front wall ll, rear wall l2 and side walls 13. Said shelf comprises a horizontal base or support for the vertical magazines which rest thereupon. The magazines themselves comprise narrow rectangular boxes or casings having fiat vertical side walls l5 and I6, front and rear end walls I! and I8, respectively, rectangular bottom plate [9 and an open top.

For convenience in installing and removing said magazines, they are preferably removably and slidably supported with respect to the platform III. For this purpose, channels 20 are fixed to the upper surface of platform l0 while corresponding T-shaped tongues 2! are fixed to the bases I9 of the magazines, as shown in Fig. '7, for example.

It will be understood that the magazines are normally seated in the channels 20 and that the supplies of cigars are furnished to the magazines by insertion of loaded cartons A generally shown in Figs. 11 and 12, said cartons being of a size and shape to hold a vertical stack of superposed cigars C lying with their longer axes horizontal. The detailed construction and the cooperation of said cartons with the magazines will be later described in detail. In accordance with the invention each cigar vending magazine is associated with actuating mechanism for effecting the operation of delivery means for vending the cigars therefrom. Such actuating means comprises primarily, as to each magazine, a horizontally-disposed actuator rod 25 which projects forwardly from the face of the cabinet I and on the forward end of which is mounted a knob 5. Said actuator rods 25 extend through the front wall of the casing 1 and front wall II of the platform IE3, running beneath and parallel to said platform to project through an opening in the rear platform wall !2. Each of said rods is normally maintained in the forwardly projecting position by means of a coil spring 26, one end ofwhich is fixed to the rod at 21 and the other endto the bottom of the platform H] at 28. The rod 25 is designed, by means of a mechanism later to be described, to release and expel one cigar from the bottom of its corresponding magazine when pushed in by the customer and released to return under the tension of the spring 26. This vending movement of the push rods 25 is subject to a coin control, the details of which are not shown but the general principles of which will be understood by those skilled in the art.

Each of the cigar magazines is designed to release a cigar upon operation of the corresponding push rod 25 and the features of that means for feeding and controlling the feed of the cigar from the bottom of the vertical stack thereof within a carton lined magazine comprise one of the important features of the invention. This mechanism is shown in detail in Figs. 2, 5, 6 and 7 and comprises fundamentally means for positioning the cigar at the bottom of the stack between two resilient gripping members or surfaces which exert and retain a light resilient grip on pivot pin 57 and the bar 56. In accordance with the invention means are provided for causing the movement of push rod 25 to rock the hinge plate 33 outwardly so as to draw the ejector plate 3| from beneath the stack of cigars and then to permit return of said plate to eject a cigar as previously described. For this purpose the inner end of push rod 25 is designed to engage movably a bell crank I5 by means of a roller I6 at the end of the rod. The fixed pivot H of said bell crank is connected by a pivot pin to rear wall I8 of the casing structure, while the intermediate pivot I9 of the bell crank is journalled in the lower end of pivoted channel 88. The upper end of said channel is pivotally connected at 8| to the top of a vertically slidably frame 82. Rearward motion of the actuator bar thus rocks the bell crankand causes channel to slide the frame 82 upwardly. The frame 82 is mounted for vertical sliding movement with respect to vertical plate IS which is fixed to and projects upwardly from the rear wall I2 of the casing base plate It. For this purpose the frame 82 is provided with two staggered vertical slots 84 and 85 and cooperating with guide bolts and washers 85 which are fastened to the vertical plate I8. Thus the frame 82 has limited vertical sliding movement with respect to said plate 78.

Means are provided for causing the vertical upward movement of said frame 82 to rock the hinge plate 33 outwardly as previously described. For this purpose a rod is fixed to and projects from the rear face 9| of the hinge plate 33 and said rod is provided at its rear end with a roller 92. Said roller projects through an opening 93 in the wall I8 and is received in an inclined channel or guide slot 95 formed in the vertical frame 82. As will be clear from Figs. 4-A, B, C and D, the raising of frame 82 causes the roller 92 to be forced laterally (to the right in Fig. 4) thereby opening the hinge plate 33. When this movement is completed by the inward movement of the push rod, release of the push rod will cause the frame 82 to fall, restoring the parts to their previous positions and thereby ejecting the cigar as indicated in Fig. 7.

It will be understood that the cigar ejecting mechanism herein shown and described is designed to accommodate itself to different sizes and shapes of cigars without requiring any change or setting of the mechanism, because of the resilient contact of the gripping surface against the cigar. The resilient leaf 40 also serves to prevent more than one cigar being fed at a time as it tends to hold back upper cigars from following the one being fed. The movable bottomv plate 3| and leaf 40 also prevent jamming or crushing of cigars because said members engage substantially throughout the cigar length and thus automatically cause them to straighten out and lie fiat before they can be ejected.

Referring now to the novel construction of the carton A and its mechanical cooperation with the cigar-dispensing mechanism, said carton is designed to completely enclose the cigar in a package sealed with the revenue stamp S prior to introduction of the loaded carton into the machine. The carton blank is shown in Fig. 9

and comprises the solid vertical face I09 with the top flap lillcreased' at Hand I63. Locking slot I84 is provided at the center of the top flap IfJI. Along its left-hand edge the wall lei] is creased at Hi5 and the extending flap it is also centrally creased at ID! to provide the ver tical edge fold as shown in Fig. 10. The opposite side of the blank is creased at I08 and again at I09 to form the opposite corresponding vertical edge of the carton while the portions Hfland III extending therebeyond comprise the opposite face or front of the carton. Tongue H2 is formed at the top edge of sheet III to cooperate with slot I04 while a bottom tongue H3 similarly cooperates with a slot H4 in the bottom flap H5. Said bottom flap is also centrally creased at H6 to form the upturned bottom flange as shown. The blank as shown and described is assembled in closed form as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, being thus loaded with cigars and adapted to be introduced into the machine magazine within which it snugly fits.

In accordance with the invention certain parts of the carton are adapted to be removed at the time of insertion into the machine so as thereafter to facilitate freedom of movement of the cigars and inspection or examination of the magazine contents. For this purpose the flap III is joined to section H0 by a perforated line I20 so that the flap III can be torn away as the carton is inserted into the machine as indicated in Fig. 13 and positionally shown in Figs. 1 and 5. In this case it will be noted that the side plate I5 of the magazine is cut away throughout its length to provide a vertical window equal to the width of the removed flap III.

A bottom portion of the carton comprising slotted flap H5 is also adapted to be removed from the carton by means of perforated. line I2 I. Also a tongue I22 is formed on the bottom flap H5, normally comprising a portion of the back Wall I26 but being perforated so that when the bottom flap H5 is removed, said tongue I22 will come with it leaving an opening I23 at the bottom of wall I90. These portions of the carton are removed first before it is slid into the top of the magazine so that the cigars will be free to feed out of the bottom of the carton. It will be noted that the opening I 23 formed in the wall Hi0 provides clearance for the movement of the feeler 55 with respect to the carton and cigars.

When the carton is inserted into the magazine it is designed to be held in proper spaced relation above the bottom of the magazine. For this purpose the top flap IUI is designed to be bent back over the top of wall I6 of the magazine and along the outside of said wall. The lower end of said. flap is adapted to be caught in and supported by an outwardly turned tongue I25 formed for that purpose in the Wall I6 (Fig. 2)

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What is claimed is:

l. A cigar vending machine including in combination a magazine for holding an upright stack j of cigars superposed on each other and lying horizontal on their long axes, and means for feeding the bottom cigar from the stack comprising an ejection member completely underlying and supporting the bottom cigar along its long axis thereof, means for rearwardly withdrawing the ejection member from beneath the cigar causing it to fall downwardly into ejecting position, spring urged means for moving said ejection member forwardly to its original position to eject the fallen cigar laterally along its long axis, and a gate member positioned opposite said ejection member and spring urged to engage the opposite side of the fallen cigar along its long axis to resiliently oppose the ejecting movement of said ejection member whereby the cigar is gripped along its long axis on opposite sides as it is being ejected.

2. A cigar vending machine including in combination a magazine for holding an upright stack of cigars superposed on each other and lying 10 horizontal on their long axes, and means for feeding the bottom cigar from the stack comprising an ejection member, having a downwardly turned flange, completely underlying and supporting the bottom cigar along its long axis and normally holding the entire stack of cigars above the bottom of the magazine, means for rearwardly withdrawing the ejection member from beneath the stack of cigars causing the bottom cigar to fall downwardly to the bottom of the magazine into ejecting position, spring urged means for moving said ejection member forwardly to its original position to eject the fallen cigar laterally along its long axis by having the said flange portion come into contact with said cigar, and a gate member positioned opposite said ejection member and spring urged to engage the opposite side of the fallen cigar along its long axis to resiliently oppose the ejecting move- 10 ment of said ejection member whereby the cigar is gripped along its long axis on opposite sides as it is being ejected.

MARTIN M. BERGER.

JOHN MORALES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 758,301 Day Apr. 26, 1904 929,448 Killinger July 27, 1909 1,217,592 Goldstein Feb. 27, 1917 1,465,506 Allward Aug. 21, 1923 1,791,344 Bendheim Feb. 3, 1931 1,903,067 Richardson et al. Mar. 28, 1933 2,005,097 Malkin June 18, 1935 2,050,307 Fry Aug. 11, 1936 2,129,897 Williams Sept. 13, 1938 2,311,632 Berger et al Feb, 23, 1943 2,370,230 Cheechoo Feb. 27, 1945 2,432,561 De Mott Dec. 16, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 8,634 Great Britain Apr. 29, 1893 

